Phillies to call up 3B prospect: is Michael Young gone?

Rumors are a lot more fun when they have a step of background intrigue. Like a player to replace the possibly departing guy. Like this:

Source: Phillies plan on calling up 3B Cody Asche. Points to Michael Young being traded today.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2013

The big question is where Young may be going. My guess is the AL East, as the Yankees, Orioles and Red Sox have all been mentioned as possible destinations.

As for Asche: he’s 23 and he’s hitting .295/.352/.485 with 15 home runs, 68 RBI and 11 stolen bases over 104 games this season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s the sort of player you give a shot to as you rebuild. Which, finally, it appears the Phillies are doing.

Former Angels outfielder Jabari Blash has signed a one-year deal with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball, the team announced Friday. Per the Japan Times, the deal is said to be worth around $1.06 million. Blash was released from his contract with the Angels at the end of November.

The 29-year-old outfielder has had a rough go of it in the majors, where he failed to duplicate the promising results he delivered in the minors. While he consistently batted above .250 with 20-30 home runs per season at the Double- and Triple-A level, he petered out in back-to-back gigs with the Padres and Angels and slumped toward a .103/.200/.128 finish across 45 PA for Anaheim in 2018.

The hope, of course, is that the environment in NPB will help him get a better handle on his issues at the plate — in a best case scenario, resulting in a full-scale transformation that could make him more marketable to MLB teams in the future. To that end, Blash expects to be utilized as a cleanup batter in the Eagles’ lineup and will focus on assisting the club as they make a run toward the Japan Series.